New York State Police Arrest Man Driving Nearly 4X Over BAC Limit

The New York State Police report that they arrested a Connecticut man, who allegedly was driving way over the legal limit. The arrest happened the morning of May 24, as police say the suspect was found sleeping in his vehicle on one of the area's major interstates.

Authorities say the man was driving almost four times over the state's legal BAC limit.

New York State Police Arrest Man Driving Nearly 4X Over BAC Limit

New York State Police said in a press release that on May 24, at about 9:40 AM. troopers responded to the reports of an erratic vehicle. A trooper located the vehicle matching the caller’s description, stopped on the shoulder of I-87 in Saratoga Springs.

The driver who was asleep in the running vehicle was identified as a 45-year-old man from Waterbury, Connecticut. New York State Police say that the suspect was arrested for driving while intoxicated and other violations. The suspect was transported for processing where he recorded a 0.31% BAC, which is nearly four times over New York state's legal limit.

The suspect was arraigned at town court and released on his own recognizance.

Would a Lower BAC Limit in New York State Reduce Fatalities?

Back in October 2023, a Wynantskill, NY man blew a a 0.38% BAC, which is 4.7 times over the state's legal limit, according to New York State Police. Some, such as Scott Wexler, of the Empire State Restaurant and Tavern Association say the fatal drunk driving crashes are caused by those with much higher BACs, such as this one.

A number of lawmakers have pushed in recent years to lower the state's legal limit, including State Senator John Lui, who said he would make it a top priority to lower the limit to 0.05%. Another proponent of lower BAC laws includes Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon.

Wexler told WNYT he doesn't feel like a drop to 0.05% would make much of a difference in reducing fatalities.

Others, like Thomas Louizou, a former federal traffic safety official and founder of the .05 Saves Lives Coalition, disagree. Louizou stated that 114 other countries had lower legal limits than the United States. WNYT says that other organizations like the National Transportation Safety Board and Mothers Against Drunk Driving have backed previous attempts to lower the limit.

Numbers from the NTSB posted at Stateline say that in the first year, Utah lowered the drunk driving limit, and traffic deaths were cut by 20%.